The Synergy of Food Sovereignty and the Politics of Malnutrition in Tanzania: What Works, Why and How?
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Date
2024
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Journal of Academics Stand Against Poverty
Abstract
Recent data from Tanzania's National Bureau of
Statistics show the alarming extent of malnutrition: 35% of
under-five children classified as stunted and 15% as
underweight, demanding urgent intervention. This paper
investigates the synergy between food sovereignty and
politics of malnutrition in Tanzania, examining mechanisms,
effectiveness, and strategies. It asserts that the interplay
between food sovereignty and politics of malnutrition drives
socio-economic progress and food security. Using a case
study approach, the paper evaluates scalable food
sovereignty projects in Tanzania. Interviews with
stakeholders, including officials, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and experts, offered insights into the
complex relationship. The paper explores “food sovereignty”
theory alignment with case studies (the What), rationale for
realizing the right-to-food in Tanzania (the Why), and
operationalizing policies amid the “politics of malnutrition”
(the How). The paper draws on political ecology theory by
Bryant and Bailey to explore food sovereignty-malnutrition
synergy. Findings reveal that successful food sovereignty
projects enhance food security and reduce child malnutrition.
Factors include agroecological practices, traditional food
systems, women and youth engagement, and community
resource mobilization, empowering communities and
prioritizing nutrition. Food sovereignty proves transformative
in Tanzania and similar contexts, yet structural/political
changes are vital to challenging industrial agriculture and
global markets. In general, the success of food sovereignty
projects in addressing malnutrition in Tanzania illustrates the
potential of food sovereignty as a transformative approach to
addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. However,
achieving food sovereignty requires challenging the
dominance of industrial agriculture and global food markets.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Agriculture, Malnutrition, Food sovereignty, Policy reforms, Structural transformation, Tanzania